St. Lucia - November/December 2014 Scene Magazine

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

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VOL. 5, ISSUE 6 • November/December 2014

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Micah Haley CREATIVE DIRECTOR Erin Theriot ADVERTISING ART DIRECTOR Kelli Binnings PRODUCTION DESIGNER Michelle Preau EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Jordan McGuire GRAPHIC ART DIRECTOR Burton Chatelain, Jr. SALES Beth Burvant, Lauren Fain, Andy Romero

EDITOR’S LETTER

W

e’re a month into the “Here’s My $2” campaign and we have one month left to go! We’re gathering photos, videos and stories of how the film industry has impacted the lives of people in Louisiana. It’s been incredibly inspiring to hear the stories supporters of the film industry have shared.

If your life has been positively impacted by the film industry in Louisiana over the last ten years, I want to extend a personal invitation to you. We need you to share your story and back the Kickstarter to help fund a landmark economic impact study that will tell the full story of how entertainment has impacted Louisiana.

This is an all-or-nothing fundraiser. Either we reach our goal of $50,000, or we get none of the money that

10 | November/December 2014

has been pledged. Although this is a big risk, it shows how strongly we believe that the film industry has impacted our state. We believe that you will be willing to show how entertainment has improved your life.

There are really some great rewards for backing the Kickstarter. There’s almost twenty different options for you to choose from, including one-on-one meetings with industry professionals who can give you accurate, firsthand information that can help you as you build your career in the entertainment industry. There’s also the best t-shirt ever and a bunch of other swag for only $42.

For more information and to back the Kickstarter, go to heresmytwobucks.com.

MICAH HALEY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

editor@sceneent.com

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Shervin Lainez, Jae-Hyeok Lee, Jonathan Hession, Alan Markfield, Karen Ballard, Giles Keyte, Deja Jordan, Melind Sue Gordon, Scott Garfield, John P. Johnson, Kerry Brown, Barry Wetcher, Tom Munro, Kelli Binnings, Charles Ravaglia, Caitlin Barry, Drew Patrick Bateman-Guillory CONTRIBUTING WRITERS AJ Buckley, Michelle Preau, Susan Ross, Jacob Peterman, Arthur Vandelay, Aaron Williamson, James Napper, III Scene Magazine At Celtic Studios Baton Rouge 10000 Celtic Drive • Suite 201 • Baton Rouge, LA 70809 225-361-0701 At Second Line Stages 800 Richard St. • 4th Floor • New Orleans, LA 70130 504-224-2221 info@sceneent.com • www.sceneent.com Published By Scene Entertainment, LLC For Scene Entertainment, LLC CEO, Andre Champagne President, AJ Buckley Vice President, Micah Haley Display Advertising: Call Scene Magazine for a current rate card or visit www.sceneent.com All submitted materials become the property of Scene Entertainment, LLC. For subscriptions or more information visit our website at www.sceneent.com.

Copyright @ 2014 Scene Entertainment, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be used for solicitation or copied by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording by any information storage or retrieval system, without the express written permission of the publisher.

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CONTENTS

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014

ON THE COVER

ON THE SCENE

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St. Lucia

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BROKEN LIZARD LIVE AT THE CIVIC THEATRE

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PREVIEWS:

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ON THE SCENE 36 TODAY’S SCENE 28 Black and White at NOFF 2014 The Here’s My $2 Campaign

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The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

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THE FASHION ISSUE

NEW YEAR, NEW LOOKS

Classy Chic

A Conversation with Travis Aaron Wade

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Celebs currently filming in the South

Follow @SceneToday on Twitter for breaking news and more from Scene Magazine. @scenetoday

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SCENE ON YVONNE STRAHOVSKI Dexter

Aussie beauty Yvonne Strahovski stunned on NBC’s unlikely spy show Chuck. The talented actress also charmed audiences, and supposed sociopath Dexter himself, on Showtime’s serial killer drama Dexter as Hannah McKay. Now Strahovski is in the Crescent City starring in Chuck creator Josh Schwartz’s new show Astronaut Wives Club, a period piece that will tell the real story of the women who stood behind their husbands during the space race.

ED HARRIS Yvonne Strahovski as Hannah McKay courtesy of Showtime

Snowpiercer

Ed Harris has starred in some of the greatest films of the last three decades, including The Right Stuff, Glengarry Glen Ross, Apollo 13, The Truman Show and A Beautiful Mind. And he continues to impress in great films like Gone Baby Gone, The Way Back and this year’s excellent sci-fi thriller Snowpiercer. Now Ed Harris is staying firmly in the futuristic world of sci-fi with both the HBO show Westworld and Dean Devlin’s Geostorm, which is filming in New Orleans now.

Ed Harris as Wilford photo by Jae-Hyeok Lee

HALLE BERRY X-Men: Days of Future Past

Katheryn Winnick as Lagertha photo by Jonathan Hession

KATHERYN WINNICK

Halle Berry returned to the X-Men franchise as Storm this summer in X-Men: Days of Future Past, which united the universes, and the casts, of X-Men: First Class with director Bryan Singer’s groundbreaking superhero classic X-Men. Now Oscar winner Berry is in New Orleans to film Kidnap, where she’ll play a woman who will stop at nothing to recover her kidnapped son.

Vikings

Fresh face Katheryn Winnick has impressed on the History Channel’s show Vikings as Lagertha. She’s also appeared in feature films like Love and Other Drugs and the aging gangster flick Stand Up Guys.

Now she’s landed a huge role as Olivia, the ex-wife of Gerard Butler’s character in Geostorm. Winnick is in New Orleans now to film the weather disaster flick, which puts a man in space to stop satellites from causing the storm of the century, while a plot to assassinate the president is uncovered.

14 | November/December 2014

Halle Berry as Storm photo by Alan Markfield

MORE SCENE ON

SCENE ON JAI COURTNEY Jack Reacher

Jai Courtney is quickly becoming a mainstay in American action movies. The Australian import starred as blunt force specialist Charlie in the Tom Cruise actioner Jack Reacher. And he was in Louisiana earlier this year for Terminator: Genisys, where he’ll redefine the role of Kyle Reese that Michael Biehn originated in 1984. Now Courtney is back in New Orleans for another film called Man Down, where he’ll star alongside Kate Mara, Shia LaBeouf and Gary Oldman.

SHIA LABEOUF Fury Jai Courtney as Charlie photo by Karen Ballard

Shia’s career has been interesting, to say the least. After starting his career on Disney’s Even Stevens, he made the jump to features with I, Robot, Constantine and Disturbia. Then he landed the lead human role in Transformers, which made him an international star. Now Shia is in Louisiana to film Man Down, alongside Jai Courtney, Kate Mara and Gary Oldman.

Shia LaBeouf as Boyd Swan photo by Giles Keyte

GEORGE CLOONEY Gravity

Scoot McNairy as Gordon Clark courtesy of AMC

SCOOT MCNAIRY Halt and Catch Fire

Scoot McNairy is currently starring in AMC’s Halt and Catch Fire. It’s the best new show on television, bar none. A few years ago, he was in New Orleans starring opposite Brad Pitt in Killing Them Softly.

Now while Halt is on hiatus, McNairy is back in New Orleans to star in Our Brand is Crisis with Sandra Bullock, Anthony Mackie and George Clooney.

16 | November/December 2014

George Clooney as Matt Kowalski courtesy of Warner Bros

The recently wed George Clooney can do no wrong, continually churning out captivating performances. Last year, he starred in Monuments Men and the Oscar winning film Gravity opposite Sandra Bullock. Now he’s in New Orleans to star in director David Gordon Green’s Our Brand is Crisis, which reunites him with his Gravity costar Bullock. He’ll also be appearing alongside Scoot McNairy, Anthony Mackie and Billy Bob Thorton.

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Baton Rouge • Lafayette • New Orleans • Shreveport • Houston

by AJ Buckley

TRAVIS AARON WADE Travis Aaron Wade is an actor from Los Angeles. A veteran of the United States Marine Corps, Wade’s career as an actor was taking off when he was cast in Steven Spielberg’s War of the Worlds, but he broke his nose on the set of The Fix with Robert Patrick the same year. Now after rebuilding his career from the ground up, Wade can next be seen in the CW’s long-running hit show Supernatural, The Forger with John Travolta and Christopher Plummer, and in Criminal Activities with John Travolta, Dan Stevens and Jackie Earle Haley.

What made you want to become an actor?

I was twenty-two and I had gotten out of the Marine Corps. I didn’t really know how to get back into the civilian world. I have the utmost respect for the Marine Corps, but what they have you training to do is inhumane and you have to react a certain way. They have to strip you of all of your emotions. When I got into the military, I didn’t expect those things to happen to me, and when they did, I kinda came out lost.

I was in college studying and I was working. I was going through the motions. I was doing everything I was supposed to do, but I just felt null and void. My sister passed away giving birth to her second child. The funeral was very hard on a lot of us, but I was very cold and I didn’t have any emotion. I remember going to my mom and I said “I don’t feel, I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” And she said, ‘What is it that makes you feel?” And the only time I can remember feeling was watching movies. She said, “Why don’t you work in the movie business?”

A friend who was an actress said, “Take an acting class and network. Meet some people in the business and maybe you can do some grip work.” Walking into acting class, the first people I saw were Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Jessica Biel, Claire Danes, Danny and Chris Masterson. These kids were not famous: they were just TV stars at the time. They were putting up this work on stage that was mind blowing. I was just in awe of what they did. At some point, the teacher said, “Stop auditing and get up there and do it.”

I finally tried to put up a scene with people watching. The minute I tried to perform, I had a nervous breakdown. I started crying. I just went blank. The next thing I know, I got a phone call from the teacher. She said, “You just left! You need to come back to class.” I said, “I don’t know what happened. I wasn’t suppose to cry in the scene. I just lost it and I had a nervous breakdown.” It was the first time I had cried and let all these emotions out that were suppressed for many years. She said, “The class was being audited by Judy Savage. She’s an agent. She wants to sign you.”

to do anything else. Then, that job is over. The fear is not living it. It’s where I’m at today. It’s not so scary now, because there is light at the end of the tunnel. That was the unknown. But, I’m here at this age and it’s not that bad. If you get into acting thinking it’s a five year or ten year gig, you’re gonna be sorely disappointed. It’s a lifelong journey.

What was your biggest fear?

I did walk away. I left in 2007 to go teach in Vietnam. I got offered a job from a woman I met on War of the Worlds. She called and said my flight was booked and I have class on Monday. I got on a plane and started working with children from Vietnam. I’m not certified to be a teacher, but I knew what I had been taught, and I knew how to take the best of what I’d been taught and apply it. That’s what I did with these kids. They’ve become like family to me. I’ve been

Being thirty-nine years old, not married, no children and wondering how I’m paying rent. The fear was where I’m at today. I’m kinda living it! With the success I had early on doing films like War of the Worlds and being closely connected to Jarhead, I didn’t think that I’d be where I’m at today: hoping that my next job comes. When acting does take over, you are in Vancouver shooting a television series, and it’s very difficult 18 | November/December 2014

What was your lowest point?

I’ve had a few. I had been cast in a Steven Spielberg film and was on set for two weeks working for Spielberg. When you work with Spielberg, you think, “I made it.” Working with Steven Spielberg was one of my goals. I thought, “This is gonna lead to other things!” During that period of time, the industry was just starting to get to know me. But I decided to take my foot off of the gas and get engaged. Nothing wrong with that but I forgot the person I had already married: the entertainment business. You can’t cheat on her. All of my work ethic went into her.

Everything went to her. I thought I was bigger than I was and thought I achieved more success that I had. I was doing the parties and the Sundances. I hadn’t fully earned that right. I thought I was somewhere I wasn’t. I didn’t think I had only a year timeline with my manager.

When he was gone, all this trickle effect started happening. I did a movie called The Fix with Robert Patrick. It won a bunch of awards, and I got my nose taken off of my face in the movie. I broke my nose, broke my finger and was pretty much was knocked out of the acting business. I had reconstructive surgeries on my face. From 2005-07, I was just recovering. I was in a lot of physical pain. I partied pretty hard.

It took me going to a very special place where I have friends at to turn my life around. That was my lowest point. I was ready to quit acting. I would go into auditions saying that I was walking away from the business. Then I booked The Forger.

What kept you from walking away?

TRAVIS AARON WADE

BEFORE THE SCENE photo by Deja Jordan

doing it over there going on my seventh year now. Whether I’m successful, famous or rich, it’s the one profession that I will always do.

Who was your closest ally?

John Travolta. AJ Buckley has been an ally. Sean Faris. My best friends are Keith and Richard. Richard is a high school teacher. Keith is a police detective. We’ve been friends since we were ten years old. My family. My mom, my dad, my sister, my step-dad, my brother. The one thing that has helped my career the most is my family and my friends.

From the day I said I wanted to be an actor, or I wanted to be in the Marines, or I wanted to play football, no one ever threw doubt at me.

What were you doing before the audition that changed your life?

It was tough. I knew the audition was big. I believed it was already offered to some other actor. It starred Christopher Plummer, Abigail Spencer and they had this one little role. I thought, this is going to be offered to an AJ Buckley. A really good actor my age that will do it for nothing because it’s Chris [Plummer]. I was doing everything I could to just go in and put up an audition for something that I absolutely did not believe I was going to get. I had so many other things to do that day. I went to do the reading and there’s the producer Al Corley. I do this cold reading and I completely thought I bombed it. A couple of weeks later I got a call. On my 38th birthday I was in Nashville watching Zac Brown Band on stage having dinner when a call came in from my agent and manager saying that I booked the lead role in a John Travolta and Christopher Plummer film.

That was September 2013. Since then, I have done five films, two with John Travolta, and the CW’s Supernatural and I haven’t been home in a year.

What were the words that kept you going?

Strength to change. That’s the tattoo on my arm. The change I went through from high school to the marines. And the change I went through from the marines to the civilian world, and from the civilian world to the acting world. It’s not easy. It’s gut wrenching. But we have the ability to change. I’ve gone from not understanding certain people to being enriched and being welcomed to their culture. Think about Vietnam.

We went to war there. Now I live there and have people I call my family.

What words do you have to inspire others?

Never give up. That was something that Adam Kane wrote to me on the cover of my script for The Fix. That’s when my face and finger were broken. I apply that to every single thing. Anybody who reaches out and needs help, I will be there to help out. Just never give up.

A partner in Scene Magazine and the president of Louisiana Entertainment Publishers, AJ Buckley has starred for the last eight years on the hit CBS show CSI:NY. Originally from Dublin and raised in Vancouver, he has spent the last twelve years in Los Angeles acting, writing and directing. He recently finished producing and starring in North of Hell, and currently stars in Justified’s fifth season on FX. Find out more on Twitter @AJohnBuckley and at www.ajbuckley.net.

sceneent.com | 19

COMING SOON

by Michelle Preau DUMB AND DUMBER TO • NOVEMBER 14 After twenty years, Hollywood has totally redeemed itself. Harry Dunne and Lloyd Christmas set out to search for Harry’s long lost daughter. Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels, Laurie Holden and Kathleen Turner star. Runtime TBA. Rated PG-13.

THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY - PART 1 • NOVEMBER 21 Matthew McConaughey

photo by Melinda Sue Gordon

INTERSTELLAR • NOVEMBER 5 Matthew McConaughey heads out on an interstellar voyage in Christopher Nolan’s mysterious new film. Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Michael Caine, Casey Affleck, Mackenzie Foy and Topher Grace also star. 169 min. Rated PG-13.

BIG HERO 6 • NOVEMBER 7 Disney and Marvel come together for an animated superhero film that follows a young boy, Hiro Hamada, and his self-created robot Baymax. Ryan Potter leads the cast as the voice of Hiro and Scott Adsit as Baymax. 102 min. Rated PG.

The third film picks up after the events of Quarter Quell. Katniss ( Jennifer Lawrence) is in District 13 leading a rebellion against the Capitol, while Peeta ( Josh Hutcherson) is trapped with President Snow (Donald Sutherland). 125 min. Rated PG-13.

THE IMITATION GAME • NOVEMBER 21 During World War II, Britain hires Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch), a brilliant mathematician and cryptoanalyst, to break the Germans’ Enigma Code to help bring an end to the war. 113 min.

Rated PG-13.

V/H/S: VIRAL • NOVEMBER 21 Everyone wants to be the next internet sensation. A group of teens set out to accomplish this, but soon find themselves stars of the next video that puts them face to face with their own death. 97 min. Rated R.

THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING • NOVEMBER 7 Eddie Redmayne stars as young Stephen Hawking during the time of his life when he first developed his theories about space and time and fell in love with his wife Jane (Felicity Jones). 123 min. Rated PG-13.

Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis and Jason Bateman photo by John P. Johnson

HORRIBLE BOSSES 2 • NOVEMBER 26 Channing Tatum and Steve Carell

photo by Scott Garfield

FOXCATCHER • NOVEMBER 14 Channing Tatum is enthralling as Mark Schultz, a wrestler consumed with the idea of winning gold at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Steve Carell stars as John du Pont, Schultz’s intense mentor. Bennett Miller helmed the film. 130 min. Rated R.

You hate your boss. So do Kurt Buckman, Nick Hendricks and Dale Arbus, played by Jason Sudeikis, Jason Bateman and Charlie Day. The hilarious trio has found a way to get rich quick without having to work for anybody ever again - by becoming kidnappers. 108 min. Rated R.

WILD • DECEMBER 5

Cheryl Strayed (Reese Witherspoon) finds herself at rock bottom after her mother passes away and her marriage fails. In an attempt to rebuild, she sets out on a thousand mile solo hike on the Pacific Crest Trail as she searches to find herself again. 115 min. Rated R.

MORE COMING SOON 20 | November/December 2014

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12

Based on the novel by Thomas Pynchon, this crime-filled comedy is about Larry “Doc” Sportello, a private investigator researching the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend’s boyfriend. Joaquin Phoenix stars for director Paul Thomas Anderson. 148 min. Rated R.

Jamie Foxx and Quvenzhane Wallis

photo by Barry Wetcher

ANNIE • DECEMBER 19

Christian Bale and Joel Edgerton

photo by Kerry Brown

Louisiana native Quvenzhané Wallis stars as Annie in the new reboot of the classic musical. The film with a new urban twist also stars Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz. Will Gluck directed the film. 118 min. Rated PG.

EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS • DECEMBER 12 Ridley Scott directs this biblical epic. Moses rises against the Pharaoh to lead his people out of bondage and out of Egypt. Christian Bale stars as Moses alongside Joel Edgerton as Pharaoh Ramses. 142 min. Rated PG-13.

Robin Williams, Ben Stiller and Friends

photo by Kerry Brown

NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB • DECEMBER 19 photo courtesy of Warner Bros

THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF FIVE ARMIES • DECEMBER 17 Peter Jackson continues the journey to the middle of the earth as JRR Tolkien’s story comes to life. Benedict Cumberbatch, Lee Pace, Evangeline Lilly, Luke Evans, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom and Ian McKellen star. Runtime and Rating TBA.

22 | November/December 2014

Late night adventures in a museum are always a good time. This time around Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) and his pack of historic heroes head to work at a British museum in order to investigate the disintegrating tablet of an ancient Egyptian Pharaoh. Runtime TBA. Rated PG.

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GEORGIA

THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 1 IN THEATERS NOVEMBER 21

by Susan Ross

K

atniss Everdeen is back in the first half of the final chapter of The Hunger Games. After shattering the games forever, Katniss is in District 13. The mockingjay spreads her wings as she fights to save Peeta and a nation moved by her courage.

Jennifer Lawrence returns as Katniss, with Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland, Stanley Tucci and Elizabeth Banks also returning. Julianne Moore and Philip Seymour Hoffman are among the new faces. The film is one of Academy Award winner Hoffman’s final performances following his tragic death.

Behind the camera, director Francis Lawrence returns after the smashing success of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, which grossed $424 million domestically and $429 million internationally for a total worldwide take of $864 million. That’s $173 million more than the series’ first installment. The highly anticipated sequel was shot in Atlanta, Georgia, with Griffin and Thomaston, Georgia standing in for District 12.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 opens wide in theaters on November 21.

24 | November/December 2014

SCENE in

TEXAS

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE

AT THE TOYOTA CENTER

by Jacob Peterman

photo by Tom Munro / RCA Records

P

op personified, Justin Timberlake has turned his signature brand of cross-over craftsmanship into an empire. After emerging as the most successful member of *NSYNC, JT became a movie star in The Social Network and Inside Llewyn Davis, while proving he wasn’t letting any of the success go to his head with SNL appearances alongside Andy Samberg. That wouldn’t be classy. We’re talking about a member of the Mickey Mouse Club here.

A seven-year absence from the recording studio had fans in a frenzy for Timberlake’s return to the throne. As the crown prince of pop, that fan base crosses all ages and demographics. With The 20/20 Experience, Timberlake reminded the music world he is a full-blown phenomenon, able to create music that’s both critically and commercially successful. All while still being so damn cool.

Timberlake will take the stage at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas on December 1. For tickets and more information, go to houstontoyotacenter.com.

26 | November/December 2014

Reception and Conference Center

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TODAY’S SCENE

HERE’S MY TWO BUCKS Help Keep the Louisiana Film Industry Rolling

by Backing a Kickstarter

by Micah Haley photos by Kelli Binnings

L

ouisiana is this amazing place that will fill your senses to the brim. We have some of the best music, the best food, the best people and the best stories in the world. Anyone who has ever visited knows this to be true. And as people who live here, we know it to be gospel! But for the majority of Louisiana’s history, there wasn’t an industry to support all of the singular storytellers here.

That changed about ten years ago when the State of Louisiana created a film tax incentive to bring jobs back to the United States from abroad. It was a landmark decision: no one else in the United States was doing it! And it has brought hundreds of film and television projects to Louisiana and billions of dollars in economic impact.

It has also changed the conversation about Louisiana. We were once only in the news for negatives. But now, the press refers to Louisiana as the “movie-making capital of the world.” Once a state only lampooned in comedies that didn’t shoot here like The Waterboy, Louisiana now hosts prestige projects like Best Picture winner 12 Years A Slave and homegrown Best Picture nominee Beasts of the Southern Wild, Emmy winners Treme, True Detective and American Horror Story and popular television series like NCIS: New Orleans, which will now be distributed to over two hundred markets worldwide.

These successes are redefining our economy. It’s reversing the “brain drain” of young minds to other states. And it’s also attracting people to Louisiana, both new residents and tourists eager to experience our state.

We need protect the Louisiana film industry to ensure its positive growth. The current film incentive, called the Motion Picture Investor Tax Credit, has created the best environment for long-term growth in the country. We need to protect it in order to protect the growth of Louisiana’s film industry and Louisiana’s economy.

If there are changes made, we want them to only strengthen and streamline that growth, creating more jobs and more opportunity.

To do this, we need to fund a landmark economic impact study. Louisiana Legislators are asking us for concrete data, and we need to give it to them. We need to give them an honest, independent study from the noted research firm HR&A. But a good study costs a lot of money: around $150,000.

The Louisiana Film & Entertainment Association (LFEA) has already started raising money to cover the cost of the study. Now we need to raise the final $50,000 to get the facts. We considered many options for how to raise this money. And Kickstarter was the clear choice because it creates an opportunity to do two things: 1) It gives you an opportunity to tell your story. We know that film has a positive impact on a wide array of residents and businesses in Louisiana. And you should share your story. We want you to say “Here’s My $2,” which means “film has had an impact on me!”

2) It gives us an opportunity to connect with you. The prizes are 28 | November/December 2014

the perfect opportunity to connect with each other. By supporting this Kickstarter, you can mingle with filmmakers at the New Orleans Film Festival. You can meet one-on-one with a casting director, a talent agent, a film composer or a producer. You can learn how to break in to the film industry. You can meet a great headshot photographer! And we get to meet you and see what you have to offer!

By backing this Kickstarter, you are doing more than signing a petition. You are putting your money where your mouth is. By saying “Here’s My $2,” you are supporting film.

We have SO many amazing prizes and more yet to be announced! We’ve already received such an outpouring of support even before the campaign has begun. You can see a full list of all the prizes offered at heresmytwobucks.com.

One prize we expect to be a big hit are the official “Here’s My $2” t-shirts. They are incredibly soft and durable. For $42, you get a shirt in your size, a magnet, a sticker, access to attend a “Breaking In” class, your name in Scene Magazine and on a petition, and membership in LFEA for a year!

We’ll be announcing all prizes on Twitter and Facebook, so make sure to follow us at @heresmytwobucks and facebook. com/heresmytwobucks. And of course, we’ll continue to update this Kickstarter page throughout the campaign.

And by backing the Kickstarter at any level, you’ll also get a one-year membership in LFEA. You’ll also be able to vote at member meetings, receive the latest information on the entertainment industry, along with invitations to the best networking events. Find out more at lfea.org/membership.

Fully funding this Kickstarter means we have also fully funded the new landmark economic impact study. And that’s the first phase of the “Here’s My $2” campaign. While the study is being conducted, we’ll be hard at work fulfilling your awesome prizes!

We’ll be collecting your stories via video, email, Facebook and Twitter. We already have over 300 and need as many as we can get!

Once the study is complete, it will be released to the public, as well as given to the Louisiana Legislature and the Governor of Louisiana. It will be accompanied by your names: the people who believed in entertainment enough to put money on it and say, “Here’s My Two Bucks!”

In Spring of 2015, the fun starts. We’ll be publishing your stories in Scene Magazine in a special issue. We’ll also be telling your stories: in emails to the Louisiana Legislators and the Governor of Louisiana, on Youtube, on Facebook and Twitter and on Scene’s website at sceneent.com.

And our campaign will continue onto the steps of the Louisiana Capitol in May of 2015. There, we’ll

TODAY’S SCENE

sceneent.com | 29

TODAY’S SCENE be able to share our stories face-to-face with our friends in State government, telling them just how great film has been for Louisiana.

And what if we’re unsuccessful? We certainly have a lot at stake. If we’re unable to fully fund this Kickstarter, we won’t have that money to fund the economic impact study that we need. And unlike some other crowdfunding companies, Kickstarter is ALL-OR-NOTHING. So if we come up even a little short, we get nothing. But we really believe you are out there! And that you have friends and family that have been impacted! It’s important to get the word out early and often, and to keep telling your story.

Find out more at heresmytwobucks.com.

WHAT IS LFEA? The Louisiana Film & Entertainment Association is comprised of lifelong Louisianans and newcomers to the state who believe in the future of the Louisiana entertainment industry. Some of us make movies for a living, some of us created companies that do business with the entertainment industry, and some of us just want to support what entertainment is doing for Louisiana.

We live in Shreveport, St. Francisville, Lafayette, Covington, St. Rose, Monroe, Baton Rouge, Houma, New Orleans...all over the state!

And that’s one of the great things about the entertainment industry: it impacts the entire state of Louisiana.

LFEA’s Mission: We’re a professional trade association created to grow the entertainment industry in the state of Louisiana. LFEA plays a substantive role in the long-term prosperity of Louisiana’s entertainment industry; an industry define by various sectors including film, music, digital media and live performance. The association works to bring together the individual working in the entertainment industry with businesses invested in Louisiana.

LFEA’s goal is to speak with one voice regarding the positive economic impact the entertainment industry provides to Louisiana. Find out more at lfea.org.

30 | November/December 2014

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TODAY’S SCENE

BLACK AND WHITE

PREMIERES AT THE 2014 NEW ORLEANS FILM FESTIVAL

by Arthur Vandelay

photos by Kelli Binnings

T

he 2014 New Orleans Film Festival kicked off on October 16 with a screening of Black and White, the new film from director Mike Binder that stars Oscar winners Kevin Costner and Octavia Spencer. The opener marked a return to New Orleans for Binder, who also shot the film in the Crescent City.

“Kevin Costner loves to shoot in New Orleans! He’s shot three movies here,” said Binder on the red carpet of why New Orleans was the film’s shooting location. “There’s a great film program here. There’s a great film tax incentive. There’s great film crews.”

“Our producer Todd Lewis lives here and knows the city really well,” Binder continued. “I came here and said, ‘I don’t think it’s going to work here, Todd. It’s an L.A. story. And he said ‘Just spend some time here. And after a day, I was like, ‘I’m ready! Let’s shoot it here! This is great. We could do anything.’”

Although Black and White was shot in New Orleans, the story’s setting remained Los Angeles, which means Binder had to double New Orleans locations for L.A. “Downtown impressed me. Not the French Quarter, but the other side of Canal Street really had a Downtown L.A. feel,” said Binder. “It could really easily replicate L.A. and I think it could also do New York.

There was a suburb we shot in that looked just like Brentwood.”

After filming one movie in the Crescent City, Binder became a fan. “I wish I could spend more time here,” he said.

In attendance for the screening was Marvel’s newest superhero, Anthony Mackie. A New Orleans native, Mackie co-starred with Chris Evans in this year’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The latest expansion of the Marvel Universe has earned over $714 million dollars worldwide, making it Mackie’s biggest hit to date. Mackie is currently in town filming Our Brand is Crisis alongside George Clooney and Sandra Bullock.

Also in attendance were Jillian Estell, the pint-sized star at the center of the Binder-directed drama, Louisiana-based producer Todd Lewis and production supervisor Will Greenfield. Django Unchained star Laura Cayouette was also spotted on the red carpet.

For more photos from the red carpet, go to facebook.com/sceneent.

32 | November/December 2014

Anthony Mackie at the Civic Theatre

TODAY’S SCENE

Laura Cayouette

Jon Vogl of Apex Post

Black and White producer Todd Lewis

Black and White actress Jillian Estell

Trey and Beth Burvant

Anthony Mackie with NOFF Executive Director Jolene Pinder

sceneent.com | 33

TODAY’S SCENE

BLACK AND WHITE

PREMIERES AT THE 2014 NEW ORLEANS FILM FESTIVAL

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ON THE SCENE

COCKTAILS BEFORE DENIS O’HARE’S AN ILIAD AT THE CAC photos by Charles Ravaglia

American Horror Story star Denis O’Hare performed two shows of An Iliad, a modern retelling of Homer’s epic poem. The two shows took place on September 27 & 28 at the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans. Prior to the show, Scene Magazine hosted a pre-show gathering filled with cocktails and conversation.

36 | November/December 2014

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ABOVE THE LINE

ST.

LUCIA

by Micah Haley

photos by Charles Ravaglia

J

ean-Philip Grobler is St. Lucia, an audio atoll to which the singer/songwriter takes you with an electro-pop sound that’s everything great about the 1980s. Born in South Africa, Grobler grew up on Phil Collins, Fleetwood Mac and Paul Simon. His first forays into music were guitar-based explorations into rock. But after moving to Brooklyn, Grobler revisited the synth-laden sounds of his childhood Songs like “Closer Than This” connote the endless L.A. summers of the 1980s, with hat tips to the decade’s obsession with Asian culture. The driving percussion in “September” is a perfect fit for a Michael Mann film contemporary to Miami Vice. The songs vary from short pop slugs to lengthy explorations of synthetic tranquility. But despite the familiarity of Grobler’s music, St. Lucia rises above its influences.

St. Lucia performed live at Republic New Orleans in October. We spoke over the phone just before the show.

40 | November/December 2014

sceneent.com | 41

ABOVE THE LINE M: We’re excited for your show at Republic New Orleans.

Have you been to New Orleans before?

M: Absolutely. So last night, I watched American Psycho starring Christian Bale. Have you seen this movie?

J: Yeah, I’ve been fortunate to be there a couple of times, actually!

Only for like a very short time. But it’s one of my favorite cities in the States. Actually, in the world.

J: Yeah, of course! I love it.

M: I read that you did some work in the commercial world writing jingles and what not. And that exposed you to a lot of different genres of music. How did the process of writing those short-form final products affect your process now?

J: I did that job for, I’d say, between two and a half and three years.

When you’re doing that everyday that kind of starts becoming your default way of writing. In a sense, I think the biggest way it affected me was when I left that job. Doing that was never my main ambition. I was never like, “I want to be a jingle writer for the rest of my life.” I always wanted to have a band and do that whole thing that I’m fortunate to do now. So when I left and I started working on the band for St. Lucia, the biggest difficulty for me was just to start writing wonderful songs that weren’t like thirty seconds or one minute. When you’re doing the commercial thing, it’s like you’re basically trying to cram the entire dynamic movement of a whole song or a whole piece into that very short space of time.

But I also think maybe, in a way, it’s forced me or enabled me to come up with hooks and stuff like that very, very quickly.

Memorable melodies and stuff like that. But I also feel like that’s something that I always maybe did. It was almost like you need to distill things more and kind of trim away the fat as much as you can. Which I think sometimes happens in the St. Lucia music and sometimes doesn’t. I like pretty long intros and long build ups and stuff like that. It’s definitely had its influence, but I’d like to think that I’ve kind of moved past it in some way.

M: A lot of local bands have amazing musicians but they never have quite learned that skill of how to synthesize a good idea down to something that fits inside of a song. I’m not saying everything has to fit the Motown hit-making mantra of “Please don’t bore us, get to the chorus!” But most bands who haven’t hit their stride yet are either struggling to whittle down their ideas to great songs or have attempted to skip the process all together, and are doing empty songs that seem vaguely “pop.”

J: Interesting that you say that because we have three jazz musicians in St. Lucia. That went to school and have really sort of gotten into the whole jazz world. And we often have discussions about being a jazz artist. Sometimes when you’re a really good musician, I think that it’s like all musical possibilities are open to you at all times, in a sense. And so, sometimes it’s the most difficult thing, the most challenging thing, for someone like that is to be able to go like, “Okay, I’m not going to play every note or every rhythm. I’m going to just do this because that is the most memorable. The catchiest.

But, I don’t think that that makes music better or worse. It is just I guess what the modern person’s ears are trained to listen out for.

42 | November/December 2014

M: It’s amazing. We were rewatching it, and I’m simultaneously looking forward to interviewing you, and I think, “Man, St. Lucia’s music would be perfect for a remake of this movie!”

J: [Laughs] M: I read that you were a bit of a latecomer to embracing that synth sound of the 80s. Who were the first artists that you gravitated towards and then identified with their sound?

J: In a sense, I was sort of a latecomer. But actually that was the music that I grew up with and that I loved when I was growing up. When my mom was making dinner and I was really small, she would put me in front of the TV and I’d normally watch music videos on our equivalent of MTV in South Africa at the time. I loved Michael Jackson and I loved Fleetwood Mac and I loved all those things. As I started growing up and discovering more and more modern music, I sort of forgot about that and started to think that it’s like cheesy or corny. That’s just part of becoming a teenager, growing up and discovering your own taste.

M: You grew up in South Africa. In 2012, the documentary Searching for Sugar Man told the story of the musician Rodriguez, who was well known in South Africa but completely unknown in the United States. Were you exposed to Rodriguez?

J: Yes! M: What was his cultural place in South Africa?

J:Well, it’s funny because he was just part of the backdrop for me. He was never somebody that I was super into, but I definitely remember his songs being played. At parties or barbecues or, just in general, places where anyone else would be played. There’d be like The Beatles, they’d play the Rolling Stones and they’d play Sugar Man, they’d play Cat Stevens. You know? It was just part of that cultural backdrop. It wasn’t like a huge, big deal made of him. And that could be because I feel like his major cultural impact happened before I was really conscious of what was going on in the country. But it was always there.

Then, I was very surprised to find out the truth. I never even thought about it. When I came to the States, I never even thought about the fact that no one had heard of him. I just assumed that everyone had.

The same way people had heard of a lot of other big artists. But yeah!

He was just kind of always around. It was never a big deal, really.

M: That’s so interesting. When that documentary came out about his life, I was just so surprised. It seems like someone America should’ve embraced in the time period rather than leaving it to South Africa to embrace.

ABOVE THE LINE

sceneent.com | 43

ABOVE THE LINE J: Right. That happens to so many artists. That sudden emerge. Like Nick Drake, for example, who in his time wasn’t big at all and then suddenly he was discovered decades later.

Towards the end of around 2008, I started to think differently. The music that I was making was very guitar-based, and somewhat darker than St. Lucia. Kind of older rock, in a sense. I started to feel like doing that was sort of hitting a wall. A lot of music that was coming out at the time, that was considered critically good or that was acclaimed in some way, was dark and difficult. I started thinking, “Well, does music really have to be dark and really difficult in order to be good and move people?”

And at the same time, I started going back to my roots in a sense and listened to the stuff that I grew up with. The guilty pleasures kind of stuff. Like Phil Collins or Lionel Richie. That kind of stuff that in a way is like instantly gratifying. But sometimes maybe doesn’t have that much depth to it, in a sense.

And I think that listening to that and being refreshed by that instantly gratifying quality.

That started influencing my music. The fact that I listened to that and I listened to more experimental, left-leaning music as well.

Those two things mixed together and then you get a song like “Closer Than This” which is just a very 80s pop song. And then you have “September,” which is more exploratory and meandering. I guess I just tried to marry those two elements and they just naturally married.

M: What you mean by left-leaning music?

J: I guess the most common obvious example is Radiohead. When I was living in South Africa, they were actually the first band I was exposed to that showed me that music could be more than just instantly gratifying.

Or that music can be a bit more exploratory in that sense. I also love bands like Jaga Jazzist from Norway and Mew from Denmark, or Beach House. Music that isn’t “mainstream” mainstream and is, I suppose, niche music.

I love the big pop choruses and some of my favorite music is actually the pop. I love classic songwriting like Fleetwood Mac. Not all of it but bits of it. The bits that have a strong emotional anchoring and maybe have a good tense conflict in them between happy emotions and sad emotions. The biggest element of my music that I see 44 | November/December 2014

ABOVE THE LINE

sceneent.com | 45

ABOVE THE LINE

as a common thread is that sense of conflict in the song. That sense of being satisfied but also having this sort of slight satisfaction. Be happy but also be a bit melancholy. Those mixtures of emotions I think and the rubbing of elements, like the pop-y and experimental.

That kind of thing I think is what creates electricity and energy.

M: The popularity of St. Lucia has grown rapidly. New fans that are discovering you all of the time. Where do you find that they’re discovering you? Is it at music festivals or smaller venues? Are they finding you through film and television or commercials? How do you feel like people are coming to you?

J:That’s an interesting question. I’ve actually found it difficult to know, really. Some people have definitely discovered us at a festival where they’d never heard of us. They would maybe know of other bands that were playing, maybe heard of our name and they came and saw us and loved the show.

We haven’t really had any commercial things recently, but the first way people discovered us was from the Taco Bell commercial that we did and the Victoria’s Secret commercial that we did.

They’re still coming to our shows but it appears to me now the thing is if people can hear it on the radio, hear it in a shop or just hear somebody playing it somewhere. It seems to me that our 46 | November/December 2014

music has entered this musical ether. At some point, if you force it enough, your music becomes somewhat known. Your music enters that ether and people start discovering it. We had this early kind of hype wave. And you ride on that for a while and then your album comes out. Then you either just explode like Haim did or Churches did. Or you’re like us, where things have gone very, very well for us but we’ve really had to tour our asses off to make things happen. We didn’t have the big radio moment to elevate, like maybe the label was hoping for. But we’ve managed to create a solid live following and people really come to our shows and I think, from what I’ve heard, we sell way more tickets than most bands do that have had as much record sales as we do. So it seems like most is anchored by the live side of what we do right now. But obviously the studio side and the recorded music to me is equally as important if not more important because that’s what’s going to live on, hopefully (laughs) like past your lifetime. The live show may not.

M: Ha! I hope it lives on past my lifetime as well. We’ve definitely enjoyed your studio sound throughout the Scene Magazine offices, and I can’t wait to see your live show in New Orleans.

J: Super excited to be there! And to get some of the amazing food!

FASHION |

SOUTHERN

FASHION WEEK 2014

by Susan Ross

The South’s premier fashion event, Southern Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2015 runs from November 3-9. Expanding out from New Orleans, founder Andi Eaton kicks off a new project to highlight the work of Southern-based designers and those influenced by the South.

To become a member of the Southern Coalition of Fashion & Design and to buy tickets for Southern Design Week, go to southerndesignweek.com. But before attending the shows, here’s a look at the designers.

THE DESIGNERS Annie Etzel

Annie E. Apparel

Annie Etzel has grown up in the South. Her clothes are an expression, incorporating shapes and silhouettes to create eye-catching and unique garments. The inspiration is not from one source but many. The women she designs for are everything but common.

Inspired by the Southern woman, the vision is complex, glamorous, and more than meets the eye. Each garment is as intricate and detailed as every woman.

Asa Ziegler

Calle Del Mar

California native, Brooklyn-based designer Aza Ziegler had an early start. At age twelve she was featured in Women’s Wear Daily for her one-of-a-kind skirt line. Ten years later, Ziegler graduated from Pratt Institute and released her first collection. In 2014, she received a fellowship to join the Brooklyn Fashion and Design Accelerator as a Junior Fellow and Zeum Magazine just named her “one to watch.”

48 | November/December 2014

| FASHION

Courtney Marse Graphic between designer. narrative surfaces

designer Courtney Marse blurs the lines surface designer, apparel designer and textile She explores the illustrated and abstracted and its application to three-dimensional such as engineered prints for apparel.

Drawing inspiration from people and places, her process begins with developing non-traditional narratives and creating watercolor and pencil illustrations to depict the story. The illustration is cut into an abstraction, which is used as a module to create a larger print.

Parts of the original illustration are combined with the print to create designs that express the narratives.

Andi Eaton

Hazel & Florange Andi Eaton, named one of the most stylish people in the South by Southern Living Magazine, is the designer of Hazel & Florange, a women’s wear clothing line and celebration of Southern charm, inspired by the city of New Orleans. Her blog Oui We chronicles her personal style, travels, and the stories of the LA fashion community. She’s the founder of the Southern Coalition of Fashion & Design, an organization dedicated to building a resource network for independent Southern designers and those working in connected industries.

sceneent.com | 49

FASHION |

SOUTHERN

FASHION WEEK 2014

Noël Martin

Noël Martin Collection

Born and raised in New Orleans, Noël Martin currently lives in Brooklyn, NY, and works as an independent designer running Noël Martin Collection. As a double major in Fashion and Accessory design at Savannah College of Art and Design, Noël transferred to Parsons the New School of Design in Manhattan and graduated in May of 2014.

50 | November/December 2014

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MUSIC |

Screams and Shadows

PHANTOGRAM photos by Kelli Binnings

New York dark dream pop duo Phantogram took the stage at Republic New Orleans on Saturday, October 4. It was a welcomed encore to their blockbuster show at Buku Music Fest earlier this year.

52 | November/December 2014

| MUSIC

sceneent.com | 53

MUSIC |

Screams and Shadows

PHANTOGRAM photos by Kelli Binnings

54 | November/December 2014

Q&A with

Aaron Williamson

Aaron Williamson is a health advisor and fitness trainer to the film industry. He has helped craft the physical transformations of Jamie Foxx in Django Unchained, Zac Efron in Neighbors and Josh Brolin in Oldboy. He recently finished molding Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke into legendary action heroine Sarah Connor for Terminator: Genisys.

How did you connect with James Marsden on The Best of Me? I was introduced to him through Denise Di Novi. I met Denise on The Lucky One when I worked with Zac Efron and we’ve kept in touch since. She knew James’ character had to look a certain way for this film so she connected us. James reached out to Zac Efron to get a reference check on me as well and Zac gave me a great endorsement. James ended up working on D-Train (also shot in New Orleans) so he actually started with me about a month before we filmed The Best of Me. That worked out really well because once he started filming The Best of Me, the filming schedule got a little nutty and they were working long hours.

Who is James Marsden’s character in the film and what kind of look was required?

James plays a character named Dawson, an oil rig worker. The character he played needed to have this rough, burly kind of look. Not someone who’s extremely in shape and ripped up but more of a tough guy. The blue collar worker. The guy who goes out, eats like a man and his weight lifting is manual labor. So we tried to focus the training on mimicking that look.

James is a relatively thin guy. He’s got a fast metabolism and it was all about trying to put some decent size on him. I checked out some online images of different oil rig workers and I’ve got a couple buddies who work on the rigs so I asked them what their days are like.

They’ve got little gyms on site and they’ve got decent dining facilities where they can eat fairly healthy so I used those as guidelines.

What were some of the goals you set together to achieve that look?

Normally, the biggest part of a transformation is the nutrition aspect but in James’ case, because of his body type, his metabolism and the schedule we had, training was actually a lot more important than the nutrition. In very few instances do ever I say that. Nutrition was still a big factor though as we had to incorporate different foods

56 | November/December 2014

James Marsden and Aaron Williamson

around the times we trained and then took a couple of supplements that you can buy from GNC or Vitamin Shoppe that helped with endurance, recovery and performance.

What were some of the nutrition goals you set together?

When we started out, I really had to understand how his body worked in the gym and with nutrition. He can pretty much eat whatever he wants so with a guy who has a metabolism like him, we had to be sure to eat the right foods around the right times.

We added some red meat in, added some carbohydrates around his training time and he drank some aminos while we trained. These are just a few things that helped him build muscle and get through the training sessions because the training was pretty tough. I had

courtesy of aaronwilliamson.net

him drinking a lot of water too. Being on set and sweating all day can take its toll and dehydrate you pretty quickly. His schedule was pretty hectic so we tried to keep it as consistent as possible with the food. Catering helped us with his meals as much as possible.

What were some of the training goals that you set with James?

His schedule was really sporadic. He was filming D-Train, he was having meetings for The Best of Me and he had his press stuff going on for X-Men, which was really hush-hush. He’s also got a family back in L.A. so he was constantly leaving to go from one place to the next. I knew we were going to have to do some out-of-thebox type training, not your traditional weight training. So we used a lot of volume training, super sets and giant sets, things that to

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We used a lot of different rep ranges on various exercises but all of that was obviously dependent upon his endurance & energy level on that day; I was always watching his form. I may say, “Do ten.” But he can only do five. So we may get five, I may push an extra one out of him but I don’t want his form to get too sloppy if he’s not getting the full benefit of the exercise. There are always variables that come into play with training. He might be stronger one day than he is the next based on whether he got all his meals in and had enough sleep.

When he’s been up for fourteen hours and has only had two meals, the training’s going to be different because we can’t push as hard.

What were some of the training obstacles that you ran into with James on this film?

The only training obstacles were his schedule and the amount of days we were able to train. It was great when he was doing D-Train because we were probably the most consistent for those four weeks. But once The Best of Me started and the schedule got a little crazy, we would miss a couple days then train two times a day on the weekend to catch up. We’d train on some days at 6am and then again at 10pm to get everything in we could because he would be leaving for a couple days and then we’d fall behind a bit.

But he was dedicated to it. Given the schedule he had and the pain that I was putting him through, he stuck with it pretty good. And, surprisingly, he actually liked it! I like it too, so we had that mutual respect for each other.

What impressed you the most about James?

He’s really down to Earth. He’s one of the few guys in the industry who you can really relate to and just talk to and be real with. He’s dedicated to the characters he plays. He gives it everything he’s got. He’s a guy that I would love

to work with again. When it comes to training, because it can be so physically demanding, there aren’t many people who I can say would give it a hundred percent every training session. And the ones who do, I’ve got so much respect for them. And he’s one of them.

What do you think of the final product that you put up on the big screen with James?

I loved it. And I’ve had a lot of messages from people who say he looks amazing. I think the producers liked the look. We didn’t overdo it. We didn’t under do it. I think we came in right where he needed to be so the character looked real. He didn’t look like he had been training for a year, eating eight meals a day on this crazy program. We had a limited amount of time and we pulled it off. When you look at his before and after photos of the training, it’s pretty impressive. He put himself through it, I put him through it, and when he takes his shirt off on screen, or he’s in a tank top, you can tell that hard work went into that.

He looks very different. Even considering roles like Cyclops in the X-Men movies, he looks even more like a superhero in this movie. He’s got big arms and big shoulders. He looks like somebody who works for a living.

What you just said is exactly what we wanted him to look like. That’s what we wanted people to think. We didn’t want them to say, “Oh, he must’ve trained or ate like Dwayne Johnson.” It wasn’t about trying to overshadow his character with a crazy physique. It was just making his character look like what he did for a living. We pulled it off. I’m extremely happy with it. And when we finished the film, we pigged out on some chocolate peanut butter pie!

For more health and fitness tips, read Health Scene online at health.sceneent.com and visit Aaron’s personal website at aaronwilliamson.net.

“Women who lift weights will turn into beefcakes.”

For a woman to put on a massive amount of weight, to look bulky, you have to eat a lot of food. A female’s body doesn’t carry anywhere near the amount of testosterone a male does. The thought of putting a ton of weight on by training: there’s no logic to it. In many cases, women who are relatively thin who are scared to get big, their muscles are really atrophied.

A woman who starts to lift weights might feel a little puffiness but that’s really because you tear your muscle down when you train and part of the process is recovery and repair.

Muscle tearing can cause a little bit of swelling at the very beginning. I think that’s where people get scared. They feel bigger because they feel swollen and it’s really just the muscle trying to repair itself; there will always be some amount of pain that goes with training.

But, lifting weights is going to make a woman tone and help lean their body out. I love this saying: weights won’t make you big but cupcakes will.

I encourage women to incorporate cardio and weight training to get the best benefit. Most women who just do cardio have a really flat, stringy look and that’s typically not what they want.

Because there’s so much controversial information out there, it sets people up for failure because they read so much of the wrong stuff that it becomes discouraging. In conclusion, women can try to mix things up. Do a cardio day and the next day a weight training day. Or during one training session, do half weights and half cardio. Add in yoga or pilates. In addition to clean eating, this will all help get the best overall shape and look!

Disclaimer: The information contained herein is intended to provide general information and does not constitute medical advice. The content is not guaranteed to be correct, complete or up-to-date. This information is not intended to create a client relationship between you and Aaron Williamson, Scene Magazine, or any associated companies, and you should not act or rely on any information in this publication without seeking the advice of medical doctor. In reading this article, please note that the information provided is not a substitute for consulting with an experienced medical professional and receiving counsel based on the facts and circumstances of a particular transaction. Many of the principles mentioned are subject to exceptions and qualifications, which may not be noted. Please consult with your doctor before beginning any health and exercise program.

58 | November/December 2014

TM

MANDEVILLE: (985) 302-0969 | METAIRIE: (504) 475-9475 WWW.SKINBODYHEALTH.COM

Q

I am a photographer and someone has taken images off of my website and is using them in their advertising without my permission. What recourse do I have against them?

It would appear that you have a copyright infringement claim for your copyrighted photographs. Copyright is a form of legal protection provided to the authors of original works of authorship, including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic and certain other intellectual works. The key component of copyright protection is that the work is an “original work of authorship.” Copyright protection gives the author the exclusive right to reproduce the work, prepare derivative works based upon the original work, distribute copies of the work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, perform the work publicly, display the work publicly, or perform the work publicly by digital audio transmission. Furthermore,

copyright protection automatically subsists from the moment of creation of an original work: there is no requirement or process for your work to be protected once you have created it. Though, it is often ideal to register it with the U.S. Copyright Office.

In this instance, the alleged infringement would be based off of an authorized display of your work publicly via the advertisement containing the work. There are many potential remedies available to either stop the alleged infringing use or come to an agreement with the other party regarding the use of your work. The first step would be to consult with an experienced intellectual property attorney familiar with copyright law and enforcement. Good luck.

Q

About 10 years ago I had a logo designed for my entertainment company and have been using it ever since. Recently, I have noticed another company providing similar services to ours has opened in the area and they are using a name and logo almost identical to ours. What can I do?

Well, what we are talking about here is a trademark infringement claim. Trademarks are generally defined as a symbol, word or group of words used to represent a company or its goods or services. Simply put, a trademark most often operates as a source identifier. Meaning, when you see a certain name or logo associated with a particular product or service, you as the consumer have some type of expectation of quality or other attributes you associate with the product or service, and, more importantly, its source. The value of a trademark is based heavily on the goodwill that a company has built up surrounding its goods or services.

Trademarks are established by use, meaning you cannot actually obtain trademark protection without first using it in commerce. While it is often desirable to register your trademarks federally, thus getting protection across the entire United States (assuming you have a valid and protectable

60 | November/December 2014

trademark), it is not necessary because if you have been using a mark in commerce and it is a protectable trademark, you are entitled to “common law” protection of that mark in the areas which you have been using it.

Does the alleged use of a similar name and logo amount to trademark infringement? In your question, there is no use of an identical name or logo as yours, but is the name and logo used so similar to your name and logo that consumers might actually be confused to the point of believing the services are coming from your company? Or, that there exists some type of connection or endorsement by your company of this competitor’s goods and services? There are many considerations that will be vital to making this determination, and they are too detailed to get into here, but should you feel that your trademark is being infringed you should consult with an experienced intellectual property lawyer to protect your rights.

IN THE MIX

QUIXOTE STUDIOS NEW ORLEANS

by Micah Haley

photos by Kelli Binnings

“W

e have now been here for nearly three years and have loved contributing to the Louisiana film infrastructure,” says Mikel Elliott, CEO of Quixote, the respected Los Angeles brand that now has a fully functioning studio facility in New Orleans. “We first started in New Orleans with our expendables operation then we began developing the film studio. The studio has now been open for fifteen months.”

Quixote first extended their business into Louisiana by opening a Studio Store in New Orleans’ Lower Garden District, offering a wide array of expendables to the local production community. “We have always been known as the number one call for expendables in Hollywood,” says Elliott. “Then we started getting calls from producer friends to open up in New Orleans. That’s when we realized there was a strong need for our services here. We found a small warehouse location in the lower Garden District and we were on our way.”

With a year or so under their belt, Elliott recognized that the demand for studio space in the state was outpacing supply. “We realized there was obviously an opportunity for a studio here,” he says. “We found the right partner and the right property. The whole concept was to build a property that we could develop quickly.”

Elliott hired Haryl L. Deason to be the general manager of Quixote’s 62 | November/December 2014

new facility. “He’s been a godsend,” says Elliott. “He’s a really great equipment guy. We’ve asked him to be a general manager of the studio and he’s really stepped up. He’s not just a rental agent. Together we built this studio. All the nuances of building in New Orleans were quite a challenge. He’s done a great job expanding here by working tirelessly.”

“I worked at Hollywood Rentals for two years in Baton Rouge and then I opened up TM Equipment Rentals. I then moved on to Paramount, which I also opened,” says Deason, who now owns a home in Louisiana after several years working in the local film industry. “When Quixote was bringing in grip and lighting, I met with them and I liked the company.

It’s just so diversified. It has so many offerings. And then they talked about building stages as well. That was something I really wanted to do.”

The Quixote team immediately began work to shape the property into rentable studio space. “It was pretty beat up,” says Elliott. “We tore one building down to its foundation and retrofitted the other two warehouses. The building we tore down is now Stage 1, a 21,000 square foot stage. It’s the largest purpose built stage in New Orleans.”

“The idea was to build it smartly and not overspend. We wanted to create a price point that’s attractive and in line with what producers are looking for when they come to New Orleans,”

IN THE MIX

sceneent.com | 63

IN THE MIX

QUIXOTE STUDIOS NEW ORLEANS

says Elliott. “We have strong relationships with lots of these producers stemming from our twenty years of doing business in Hollywood. So, this type of studio felt like a natural for us. We are currently the only Hollywood studio operating in Louisiana.”

Quixote’s first goal was to become operational and capable of supporting one film or television show shooting in the New Orleans area.

They quickly put the pieces into place and were ready for their first show.

“We don’t micro-manage,” says Elliott of Quixote’s team. “Haryl has an opportunity to do what he needs to do. He runs the studio like it’s his own. We give our managers stretch assignments, allowing them build capacity and character. Haryl’s is a great example of it.”

“I’ve been in grip and lighting for the longest time and that’s been my world,” says Deason. “Quixote gave me this facility and said, ‘You’re not just a general manager of grip and lighting. You’re the general manager of Quixote Studios in New Orleans.’ Which is a huge title. And it became bigger than I had imagined, but the challenges were so welcomed. These guys have given me such an opportunity. We’ve built a great local team and they trust me to run this organization and keep up the Quixote brand.”

After eight months of work, Quixote’s new studio space opened in St. Rose, Louisiana, ready for its first show. “That was Ravenswood. They landed last July and continued through to March of this year.” Right after Ravenswood, 64 | November/December 2014

Quixote landed another project. “We had Don’t Mess With Texas and then pieces of a couple other small shows. We’ve been open only fifteen months.”

There was still more to learn. “We took a lot of learning lessons from the first big show. We were sort of jammed for office space,” says Elliott. “We just completed a 6,000 square foot expansion of office space, bringing us close to 13,000 square feet of office space. That’s enough to service most shows. The whole idea is ‘one show.’ This is their property. They take it all, so it’s like their own little world. There’s no other production on the lot so it creates its own unique experience.”

Quixote Studios is currently hosting its third big show, ABC’s Astronaut Wives Club. “It’s a ten-episode special that’s based on a best selling novel,” says Elliott. “Those guys were rock stars! They were heroes.

You walk out on the streets and everyone says, ‘Hey! Way to go!’ But it’s about the wives: how they cope with their husbands, these heroes.

There’s some intrigue around the wives. It’s a period piece like Mad Men.” “Versus a feature, you get the longer commitment,” he says of the benefits of landing a television show over a film. “We’ve gotten an eightmonth commitment. For a feature, you get three or four. And honestly, this space is probably not ideal for a feature because we have one stage that goes to thirty feet and the others are twenty. Features need probably three-to-four of those thirties. We really did build this with television

IN THE MIX

in mind. One television show - all in - with a high quality experience.”

Although Quixote Studios is a welcomed addition to South Louisiana’s production playbook, there is still more demand for additional infrastructure. On the subject of expansion plans, Elliott says, “With the acquisition of Movie Movers well under way, we are going to bring a few more film trailers to Louisiana. We already have several trailers on Astronaut Wives Club. We’re also seriously considering a feature-oriented studio for the market place. We’re looking at two-to-three big stages for features, along with enough office space. Basically it would be big enough to house an entire feature.

The same idea: one production occupies the entire boutique campus.

They’d have purpose-built stages, their offices on lot, trailers and equipment on site, enough parking and enough warehouse support space. All done with style and superior functionality. That’s next.”

“It’s never been about a particular line item for us,” says Elliott of Quixote’s expansion plans. “It’s about the relationships with the producers and trying to make it really easy for them to get their job done. It’s just not about a truck, a trailer, a piece of equipment or a stage. It’s about servicing those relationships we have with the producers and providing them with a super high quality experience.”

“We call it ‘The Five P’s.’ Purpose, Priority, Preparation, Personalize

and Passion,” says Deason. “And that’s what [Elliott] wants us to do.

You’ve got to have a purpose. You’ve got to prepare for it and personalize it. You’ve got to know your customers and call them by their names, every time they come in. You want everybody to feel like they’re coming into a place where everybody knows their names like Cheers! We want everybody to be friendly. We want you to be comfortable when you come in here. And you have to have a passion for it, and I do. I have a passion for just making it easier for the guys who are on the line.”

Building one brick-and-mortal facility in an industry that has such a short history in the state seems like a risk, but Elliott and his business partners are thinking bold. “We have confidence in the State and the tax credit,” he says of the Louisiana film incentive. “We’re entirely invested. We’re committed here.”

“We really feel like we’re an important part of the process,” says Elliott. “You’ve got to know the rigging grip likes it this way or the producer likes it that way. If the air conditioning doesn’t work, a chair is screwed up or one of our employees is having a bad day you could ruin the entire shoot day. We feel like we’re there to make sure they have the best day, every day. We create an environment where they can be their creative best. And we’re really, really passionate about it.”

Find out more about Quixote Studios at www.quixote.com. sceneent.com | 65

SCENE | TURNKEY ACCOMMODATIONS A “MOM AND MOM” BUSINESS MAKES IT LOOK EASY

by Micah Haley

photos by Drew Guillory

A

little more than a year ago, Patty McCann and Stephanie Clarke hung their shingle at Celtic Studios in Baton Rouge. The goal was to build a corporate housing company that could handle the sometimes hectic and exacting demands of the entertainment industry. The new company was called Turnkey Accommodations, which Clarke and McCann, who both have children, refer to as a “mom and mom” shop.

Both Clarke and McCann have extensive experience in corporate housing.

But they were betting their new company would also cater to a niche sector of the economy: film. “We give much more personalized service to the client,” says Clarke of the industry’s demands. “Most corporate housing companies have an apartment that’s set up that they lease over and over again. That’s not how we typically operate. For crewmembers, it’s about asking, ‘Do you like warm colors? Cool colors?’ We tailor-make the apartments and the furnishings to their style.”

“We’re talking about people that aren’t just business executives but creative, artistic people,” says McCann. “Aesthetics means a lot more to them than your average oil and gas industry executive.”

After opening their doors, Turnkey’s growth exploded. “We went from Ok we’re gonna do this to over seventy clients within a matter of six months,” says Clarke. “From we need an LLC to we have ten people looking for housing this week!”

Their first year has been full, facilitating the needs of Baton Rouge-shot films including Pitch Perfect 2, Fox’s Fantastic Four and the anticipated independent drama Zipper, which stars Patrick Wilson and Game of Thrones star Lena Headey. The demand has far exceeded their expectations. “We’ve seen probably 300% of our expectations,” says Clarke. “I think it’s probably a combination of good timing and good

66 | November/December 2014

Stephanie Clarke of Turnkey Accommodations

We went from Ok, we’re gonna do this to over seventy clients within a matter of six months. relationships. It speaks to the relationships we develop with line producers, production coordinators and travel coordinators.

Although both ladies have plenty of experience, a new company means having to reestablish themselves. It was also a new opportunity to impress, and that first impression continues to pay off. “It was the service we gave to the first handful on the ground,” Clarke continues. “Then it spread like wild fire. In film, it’s like, ‘If I get on

a movie, I’m hiring my posse that I know work well with me.’ And each department is like that. They were bringing their friends, people they worked with before.

When you get that department head happy, you’ve got them telling all of their people.”

“If it’s good, they talk and if it’s bad, they talk,” says McCann of the hyper-social industry, where a personal recommendation can make or break a deal. “You only get one chance

SCENE |

at a first impression and it sure as hell better be good.”

“Some realtors do this just as a realtor,” says Clarke.

“This is all this company does. Patty and I do a really good job of putting ourselves in the shoes of our clients.

We tr y to think about things as they would. W hat kind of thread count sheet would I want? W hat is within walking distance of this property that would be important to me? How far is the grocer y store? How far is the vet?”

“Or where is the nearest park to walk my dog? Would I feel safe here after dark?” adds McCann. “The bottom line is we want to make these people happy. It’s not just about finding them a place to sleep for the next thirty days. We understand they’re away from home and we want them to be happy while they’re here. That’s our goal. It’s not about quantity. It’s about quality. We want these people to be happy.”

In addition to offering myriad housing solutions, Turnkey also offers an ever-expanding list of concierge services to their clients. “A director needed help with finding a nanny,” McCann recalls. “ We interviewed and screened nannies so that when they got here, they had a handful of qualified candidates to do face to face interviews with.”

“A lot of those folks don’t have the qualifications to interview a nanny,” says Clarke. “They don’t have kids. They don’t know what questions to ask.” McCann laughs. “We’re a mom and mom business,” she says. “It really goes hand-in-hand.”

Every service Turnkey adds, however small, takes a task off the to-do list of a production. In addition to childcare, the list of concierge services now includes connecting clients with fitness instructors, personal chefs, grocery shopping and more.

“We take care of so much of the leg work before they get here,” Clarke continues. “The line producers were thrilled because that was something that the production office staff didn’t have to do.”

“They arrive in town for the shoot as a client but by the time they leave town, they’re our friends,” says McCann.

“And that has been a huge part of the repeat business that we get. That’s the reason why we’re entering the New Orleans market. The friends we’ve made when they shot in Baton Rouge have been asking us to help them in New Orleans.”

After only a year of operating in Baton Rouge, Turnkey Accommodations is now on the ground in New Orleans.

“We’ve located some great apartment complexes, condos and studios,” says Clarke. “We joined the New Orleans Metropolitan Association of Realtors (NOMAR) so that we have access to New Orleans MLS for our private residences.”

Now, Clarke and McCann are living life on the road between the two busy cities. “We’re spending two days a week down there,” says Clarke. “And we have people in New Orleans that we trust to be our feet on the street if there’s emergency.”

“We want them to have a quality experience in our state and say, ‘I had the best place to live. It really did feel like home when I worked on Fantastic Four,’” says McCann. “We have clients who told us they haven’t lived at home more than three weeks in the last three years. These corporate housing accommodations 68 | November/December 2014

Stephanie Clarke of Turnkey Accommodations

Patty McCann of Turnkey Accommodations

have to feel like a home away from home. And that’s our job.”

If you’d like to know more about the work that Stephanie Clarke and Patty McCann are doing at Turnkey Accommodations, visit the company’s official website at turnkeyaccommodations.com.

HELL YES FEST PUNCHES NEW ORLEANS IN THE FACE

by Susan Ross

C

hris Trew and some other guys are veterans of performing at comedy festivals until they got sick and tired – sick and damn tired – of those other festivals. So they started Hell Yes Fest, where they curate a bunch of awesome improv, sketch, standup and films from all over the country. “We changed the things that didn’t appeal to us,” they say. Now they are in control.

Trew is the cofounder and creative director of The New Movement and the co-owner of studio8.net. Not that it matters. Shut up. The Hell Yes Fest team is here to give you comedy. Growlix will be there.

There’s also Competitive Erotic Fan Fiction, which we hear gets fifty shades of hot. Ten comics will write and perform erotic fan fiction based on whatever and audience suggestions. It’s really stupid.

Sean Patton returns to New Orleans, which he abandoned for L.A. and New York, where people actually get comedy. Last year, he had a Comedy Central Half Hour. He looks like he’s from Metairie.

Andrew Larimer will be there. He’s local. Got a short called Men Who Pretend. Should have been called All Men. You don’t care.

Because you’ll take what they give you, and you will like it, Hell Yes Fest has wristbands now available at hellyesfest.com. Buy one. No, seriously, buy one. Dates are Nov. 12-16. Shut up.

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The American Can

Feature - Independent Starring: Will Smith Director: Edward Zwick Fax: 310.432.2401 Status: Active Development Location: New Orleans John Keller returns from the second Gulf War, only to see Hurricane Katrina destroy his home town, New Orleans.

American Horror Story: Freak Show

TV Series - FX Network Starring: Jessica Lange, Evan Peters, Frances Conroy, Sarah Paulson, Denis O’Hare, Lily Rabe, Emma Roberts, Kathy Bates, Taissa Farmiga, Gabourey Sidibe, Angela Bassett, Michael Chiklis Resumes: ahs.office@tvbyfox.com Phone: 504.224.2227 Fax: 504.224.2291 Status: Shooting now through December 23 UPM: Bob Williams Location: New Orleans The hit FX horror show American Horror Story is returning to New Orleans to film its fourth season.

The Astronaut Wives Club

Series - ABC Starring Zoe Boyle, Azure Parsons, JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Desmond Harrington, Erin Cummings, Dominique McElligott Director: Lone Scherfig - Writer/Producers: Stephanie Savage Resumes: theastronautswivesclub@gmail.com, awcproductionoffice@gmail. com Status: Prepping now Shoots October 6 to February 2015 LP: Reid Shane - UPM: Debbie Cass Location: New Orleans (Quixote Studios) During the space race of the 1960s, the lives of the wives of American astronauts were just as interesting as their famous husbands.

Cook

Feature - Independent Director: David Anspaugh - Writer: Susan McMartin Resumes: cook2014resumes@gmail.com Status: Shoots October 2014 for 25 days UPM: Tracey Landon Location: New Orleans A black man is employed as a cook by a young girl and her dying mother.

Inspired by true events and set in New Orleans.

Geostorm

NO DEPOSIT RENTALS AVAILABLE 70 | November/December 2014

Feature - Warner Bros Starring: Gerard Butler, Jim Sturgess, Abby Cornish, Ed Harris, Andy Garcia Director: Dean Devlin Resumes: geostorm2014@gmail.com Phone: 504.595.1740 Status: Preps July 7. Shoots October 20 to February 10, 2015 UPM: Sara Flamm - Line Producer: Herb Gaines Location: New Orleans

Alexander Skarsgard | Bruce Willis | Kristen Stewart | Taylor Swift Peter Facinelli | Jason London | Justin Chatwin | Ashley Greene | Kim Coates Sasha Masakowski | Shiloh Fernandez | Jason Mewes | Christian Slater Kristy Swanson | Danny Trejo | Grace Park | Angela Sarafyan | Clarke Peters

Kidnap

Feature - Independent Starring Halle Berry Director: Luis Prieto Resumes: kidnapmovieresumes@gmail.com Status: Preps September 8. Shoots October 27.

LP: Michael Drake Location: New Orleans

Man Down

Feature - Independent Starring Shia LaBeouf, Kate Mara, Gary Oldman Director: Dito Montiel Resumes: mandownproductions765@gmail.com Status: Preps September 15. Shoots October 30.

Location: New Orleans

Monster Mayhem

MOW - Disney Starring: TBA Director/Producer: Paul Hoen - Writers: Lisa Addario, Joe Syracuse Resumes: monstermayhemproduction@gmail.com Status: Preps July 7. Shoots August 25 to October 2.

UPM: Charlie Rapp - LP: Albert Dickerson Location: New Orleans

Mr. Right

Feature - Independent Starring Sam Rockwell, Anna Kendrick, Don Johnson Director: Paco Cabezas Resumes: mrrightresumes@gmail.com Status: Preps September 15. Shoots October 30.

LP: Butch Kaplan Location: New Orleans

NCIS: New Orleans

TV Series - CBS Starring: Scott Bakula, Zoe McLellan, CCH Pounder, Lucas Black, Paige Turco Resumes: ncisnolaresumes@gmail.com, ncisproduction@gmail.com Phone: 504.662.1668 Fax: 504.734.3127 Status: Shoots August 28 to April 30, 2015 UPM: Joe Zolfo PM: Rob Ortiz Location: New Orleans A new NCIS spinoff set in the New Orleans office responsible for investigations from Texas to Florida.

Randy Newman | William Friedkin | Mark Wahlberg | Michelle Rodriguez Jackson Rathbone | Mia Borders | Gary Sinise | Florence + The Machine Sterling Knight | Nicolas Cage | Joel Schumacher | Anthony Mackie | Mignon Faget Melora Hardin | Jewel Staite | Jerry Ferrara | Philip Glass | Trombone Shorty Brooke Waggoner | The Duplass Brothers | Aaron Paul | DJ Qualls | Alan Dale JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014

ON THE SCENE

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Trumbo

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Starring Anton Yelchin, Megalyn Echikunwoke Writer/Director: Gary Michael Schultz Resumes: gmsfilms@gmail.com Feature - Independent Status: August 2014 Location: Baton Rouge A crime thriller reminiscent of Bonnie & Clyde as two fall in love while on the run from the law.

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I Saw The Light

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72 | November/December 2014

Feature - Millennium Films Starring Sylvester Stallone Director: Sylvester Stallone Resumes: rambo5resumes@gmail.com Phone: 318.226.5585 LP: Ed Cathell Status: Shoots October 27 for 8 weeks

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Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales Feature - Walt Disney Pictures Starring: Johnny Depp, Keith Richards, Geoffrey Rush (Rumored: Christoph Waltz, Rebecca Hall) Director: Joachim Ronning & Espen Sandberg Resumes: fifthmaterprods@gmail.com Status: October 2014 LP: Barry Waldman PM: Trevor Waterson Location: Louisiana, Los Angeles, Hawaii, United Kingdom

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W W W .A P EXP O S T .CO M sceneent.com | 73

THE UNSCENE THE BUSINESS AS USUAL What was once new is now normal. As sure as Mardi Gras will shut down New Orleans every year, yellow location signs will point the way to work for thousands in Louisiana. With circa a decade of the film business in the Bayou State, both industry insiders and onlookers alike are increasingly comfortable with film as interwoven in the fabric of the local economy.

But take care that comfort doesn’t become complacence.

Though groundbreaking economic changes are happening everyday before our eyes, they are not yet fully permanent. The growth can only continue with the support of the people. The growth can only continue if entrepreneurs continue to innovate and investors support the new creative class of businesses.

These aren’t obligations, they are opportunities, both for local investors and for those abroad seeking a stable economic environment to plant their capital and watch it grow.

It is business as usual that has hurt the development of Louisiana’s economy over the course of the last century.

If the film industry in the state seems outside the realm of reality, that’s a great thing. This century should be unusual.

The UnScene Writer Submit tips to unscene@sceneent.com.

Anonymity guaranteed.

74 | November/December 2014

Jim Henderson

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